Ranchi, Feb. 11: Ongoing excavations at the Bero block of Ranchi district have thrown up five coins that the state art and cultural department believe belong to the Mughal period.

Some of these coins have inscriptions in Arabic called kalmas, which are extracts from the holy Quran. Other coins depict the Islamic calendar.

The five coins were found just below the Murarh hill at Khukhragarh — 11km from Bero block.

Later, these coins would be sent for chemical preservation after which they would find a place at the local Hotwar museum. “The importance of the coins lies in the fact that it can tell us a lot about the civilisation that existed at that time,” said Harendra Prasad Sinha, the assistant director of state art and culture department, who is in charge of the excavation programme.

Around 80 labourers are currently engaged in the excavation work and this is their first find, he said.

“After the excavation is complete, we would be submitting a report to the Union government and according to its directive, a proposal would be sent to the state museum department to display the coins at Hotwar,” said Sinha.

According to him, the focus of excavations is on the Nagvanshi dynasty, which ruled over the Chhotanagpur region of the state in fourth century BC.

Sinha said they have also unearthed jewellery, worn on the feet by women, pillars of buildings and carvings of human figures on portions of walls of buildings that belonged to the Nagvanshi rulers.

Sinha added when the excavation started on February 1 it was meant to be for a month. But now, it could continue till September 2008.

“After we got a licence from the Archaeological Survey of India, the government gave the responsibility of carrying out the excavations to the state art and culture department,” he clarified.

“We would get authentic results and a detailed report of the excavation sites only after it’s completed,” he added.